
Factors determining the development of algal and bacterial blooms in the Dead Sea: a study of simulation experiments in outdoor ponds
Author(s) -
Oren Aharon,
Shilo Moshe
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1985.tb01154.x
Subject(s) - salinity , algal bloom , bloom , seawater , mediterranean sea , algae , mediterranean climate , phosphate , temperature salinity diagrams , environmental science , red tide , biology , growth rate , dunaliella , water mass , environmental chemistry , chemistry , botany , oceanography , nutrient , ecology , phytoplankton , geology , biochemistry , geometry , mathematics
To simulate the occurrence of bacterial and algal blooms in the Dead Sea, we filled 5.6 m 3 outdoor ponds with mixtures of Dead Sea water and Mediterranean water, at different seasons, and studied the effect of salinity and of addition of glycerol, glucose and different concentrations of phosphate on the rate and extent of bacterial and algal growth. Addition of phosphate appeared to be essential for the development of mass blooms of both the green alga Dunaliella and of the red halobacteria. In the presence of phosphate the growth rates were high only when the Dead Sea water was diluted by at least 25–35% with Mediterranean water. Also, at low temperatures (14–17°C) mass blooms of bacteria and algae occurred, but growth rates were reduced, and the maximal salinity at which growth was observed shifted to a lower value. Glucose, glycerol and a Dunaliella bloom all proved to be suitable carbon sources for mass development of halobacteria.